Storytellers Series: Getting Into Bookstores With Author Allan Waddy
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Owning shelf space in a favourite bookstore is the dream of so many authors. But earning that valuable book-selling real estate can be tough for first-timers and publishing veterans alike.
A publishing services company like FriesenPress can distribute your book worldwide through a print-on-demand network, but there’s no better salesperson or marketer for your book than you. Pursuing local bookstores or personally approaching chain stores can be a potent strategy to expand your presence with a direct, personal touch.
FriesenPress author Allan Waddy knows this better than just about anyone. He published the book Buckshot & Johnnycakes, an autobiographical tale of two 11 year old boys who met in the Scout Movement on Vancouver Island, and their continuous adventures over a lifetime.
In the first two months following Buckshot & Johnnycakes’ release, Allan’s hard work and strategic distribution efforts allowed him to secure contracts with several chain stores and also with over 15 independent bookstores starting locally in Cowichan Bay, then all over Vancouver Island and across British Columbia.
We spoke with Allan to learn of what distribution and marketing strategies led to his success:
FriesenPress (FP): Firstly, congratulations on your rapid success! What leads you to choose a particular outlet for distributing your book?
Allan Waddy (AW): I chose my market based on volume of sales – i.e. large Canadian-owned companies who support local authors. In that regard, I was fortunate to receive support from local managers who had the authority to make decisions on whether my book could be placed in their store. As sales began to grow, there was a noticeable community demand for the book, which encouraged consideration from the local stores and allowed me to further expand into other chain stores on Vancouver Island. Eventually my book was placed in 16 Vancouver Island stores resulting in sales of over 100 books per week.
FP: How did you sustain momentum when sales started rolling?
AW: My success continued to grow based on that high demand for the book and demonstrable marketability, which sold two and three copies a day in all stores on Vancouver Island, Fraser Valley, Okanogan and Kamloops. As opposed to simply leaving the books on the shelf and hoping for the best, I was sure to support it with book signings every week. This meant the book was displayed on a standalone table, thereby getting the immediate attention of shoppers.
With an increasing presence across all those stores on Vancouver Island, it ensured the book had maximum exposure, which built on all that previous work and resulted in even more stores taking notice.
FP: For authors out there who have not experienced this kind of sales surge – what is the process of approaching a store with your book? What sorts of agreements do you arrange with them?
AW: Approaching stores is based on knowing the market, researching the customer base, and meeting with owners and managers.
The first bookstore that I approached was a large local franchise called Volume One Bookstore. Although they were initially tentative to purchase books based on the cost of buying from a self-published author an arrangement was soon reached. My first 10 books with Volume One were on consignment and based on a thirty day contract. Advertising in the local newspaper, posters, and word of mouth really assisted with the supporting book signing where I sold and signed 21 books in three hours.
Due to that success, I started selling books directly to this first bookstore at $12 per book. I also bombarded independent and mainline bookstores in the outlying communities – Victoria, Salt Spring Island, and Nanaimo, to name a small few – with over a hundred books on consignment. I worked on a 60/40 author-to-store consignment ratio and partnered with over 15 additional bookstores in the first two months of launching my book.
It was hard work, dedication, salesmanship, and promotional materials like posters, brief write-ups, and articles that all contributed to the growth in exposure. I took it upon myself to reach out to a local newspaper with a pitch, and received an excellent write-up in their arts and entertainment section.
FP: What makes a convincing proposition to a store? What were some factors that influenced stores to accept or dismiss your book?
AW: Being able to tell a new client that my book was in 15 other stores and local markets greatly enticed the new client to carry them: museums, farm markets, book stores, train stations, anywhere that my book could be displayed. In fact, I had 150 books on consignment before I got my first large chain store vendor, which was the beginning of the client buying the books up front so that I could buy more product.
It was a successful launch and my book Buckshot & Johnnycakes soon took off with over 2600 books purchased from the publisher since June 2018.
FP: You've arranged to have Buckshot & Johnnycakes in both chains and independent stores in your area. How did the process and proposal differ between local stores and chains?
AW: I knew that large chain stores supported local authors and would buy my books up front, so I kept expanding until I had the Island covered. The word spread and the demand increased. All the while, I knew that mass book distribution companies in North America were the people to impress, so I sent a free copy to those companies resulting in a contracts.
FP: What was the biggest challenge you faced in approaching stores?
AW: In some instances, there was hesitation from bookstores who did not want to buy directly as they saw a potential risk in having stock that might not sell. I managed to overcome that dilemma by making my book available in large quantities. Paying $4.27 (1000 book order) a book rather than $9.83/per book made a huge difference.
FP: Thank you so much for your time and insight Allan. Before we let you get back to selling your book, how was your overall experience working with FriesenPress?
AW: FriesenPress really understood the energy of the book – from the narrative itself to the visuals based on the promotional materials I’d provided. Ari Miller and my publishing team saw the beauty of the book, and knew how to preserve it through the publishing process.
